The Feeling is Mutual
by Syrup son
Summary: (Band/gang)AU. Mikasa finds that things have changed drastically since she was last in America, all except one thing; Annie. Old rivalries never die, even through the years apart. But really, Mikasa wonders, is this loathing or is this admiration? And what might Annie be keeping from her and everyone? Rating will change. (Mikasa x Annie), (Jean x Marco), (Hints of M x E & A x Bert)
1. Chapter 1

**Mikasa**

America, the last place that Mikasa thought she'd set foot in again, was just where she was. She bore the excruciatingly long plane ride from quaint Kyoto to the overwhelming Orlando and now stood awkwardly within the terminal while clenching the handle to a moderate-sized suitcase.

Her dark brows were furrowed together as if she were confused, but she continued to walk out anyways. Her suitcase made clanking noises on the ground behind her and her pace quickened with every step; where were they?

Did they plan on having her sift through all of Orlando for their asses? It wasn't out of her ability but she surely had better things to do, and Armin definitely knew better.

She subconsciously fingered at one of the ends of her dark red scarf out of what seemed to be unease. It had been years after all since she last saw them face to face. Maybe they forgot? Their responses through text were extremely vague anyways and maybe she just misread something.

A soft sigh escaped her lips and she stopped walking, deciding that must be it. Mikasa sat on the nearest bench, careful to keep her dark skirt unwrinkled as she did so and reached into a knapsack that was straining on her back.

She pulled a light blue flip-phone out within moments and flipped it open. She was met with a picture of her fourth-grade class picture, the last year she spent in America. She smiled warmly for a split second, just as she always did when she saw it before going into her messages.

As always, Eren's texts were riddled with acronyms and shortened words, making it seem as though it was written by an illiterate while Armin's were well thought out and written as if by a scholar.

She brought her face down very close to the screen as if she was concentrating hard on Eren's messages, but-

"Mikasaaaa?" a yell came from the distance, and it took Mikasa less than a second to get to her feet, recognizing the voice instantly, and begin to sift through the crowds of people. The unease instantly faded as she sifted, which was good, but was replaced with a feeling of anxiousness.

She headed towards the entrance of the airport while agiley avoiding oncoming people. Most always she was a calm, level-headed individual but she couldn't seem to contain herself today; she wouldn't calm down until she saw their faces- the faces of her best friends.

It only took minutes before she met Armin who greeted her with a gentle hug. He was the same height as her which was abnormal, but she felt more than happy to accept the hug. They partook in very little small talk as they walked at a quick pace, Armin knowing full well that Mikasa direly wanted to see Eren; she hid her mouth in her scarf but she bit her lower lip as she even thought of him.

Eren jumped a bit when Armin set a hand on his shoulder, instantly ceasing his yelling. Him and Mikasa partook in a far more intense hug as they greeted while Armin took it upon himself to grab her suitcase.

"You're hurt," Mikasa stated as she eyed at a small cut on Eren's cheek and began pulling away from the hug.

"Ah, just wrestling horse-face again, I wouldn't worry," he responded with that stupid trouble-hungry grin while shrugging. Normally Mikasa would question him further but she couldn't help but giggle quietly under her breath; she's truly missed these guys.

"I'm not sure if Mikasa's really going to believe that," Armin added in as he headed ahead of them towards the doors with a small grin. Mikasa and Eren followed Armin closely as Eren began to explain exactly how the fight went down in order to prove himself.

Of course Mikasa was convinced that it was more along the lines of Eren picking a fight with some delinquent, but she grinned the entire time as he spoke. Everything seemed to be just as they once were, nothing ever changing.

Armin drove them all to the Jaeger household while they all exchanged stories of the years Mikasa was away; in short, Mikasa had a pretty meek time in Japan compared to Armin and Eren. They shared stories of hijinks and inside jokes while Mikasa only spoke of how she excelled greatly in her academics, but found some sort of passion in chorus.

"Why didn't you tell us you sing?" Eren asked, excitement suddenly sparking up as Armin pulled into the driveway.

"I bet you're really good," Armin added in agreement as he pulled the keys from the ignition and began to climb out.

"I guess it just wasn't important," she said but sounded a little flustered as she got out.

"Maybe you could be our lead singer," Eren said with a joking grin, as the group made their way around to the back of the house. That's right, in all of those jumbled texts Eren had mentioned something about a band but Mikasa never did catch it fully. Either way he was surely joking, not that Mikasa would be for it anyways.

Eren then continued to walk onto the patio and slide the door open. He stepped inside followed by Mikasa and to her surprise it was decently clean; well, she supposed that's what happens when Armin lives with you ninety percent of the time.

The home was a larger two story house and Eren's parents were most always gone. His dad was a doctor with a crazy schedule and his mom disappears for no reason at all on occasion.

This is where Mikasa would be staying until she could afford her own place; after all, she was sent here because her parents couldn't afford to keep raising her- she even raised money for her own plane ticket. She was on her own now financially.

Mikasa was given the guest room while Eren and Armin spent most of their time and slept in the basement. Mikasa joined them and wasn't away from them much before school would start.

They mostly talked and played video games, which Mikasa was surprisingly good at. Occasionally Jean and Marco would stop by too along with Sasha and Connie and things only continued to make Mikasa happy too. They had friendly arguments, maybe a fistfight or two broke out that Mikasa had to put a stop to, but she wouldn't have it any other way; she always went to bed exhausted, happy and filled with excitement for the next day.

Things, as far as most of her old friends, were the same still. She had been worried that things had drastically changed and she would be left in the dust, but that was definitely not the case.

About a week later before school would start Mikasa would get to finally witness Eren's band in action. Mikasa and Armin went out and bought snacks the previous day because rock stars apparently really need Doritos and Gatorade, but no one did any complaining.

The band consisted of Reiner, Eren, Marco and Jean, much to Mikasa's surprise.

"I think you got cuter," Reiner said jokingly, being the last to arrive as Mikasa answered the door for him. "Sorry I haven't been able to drop by and say hi; you know how Annie is." Reiner and Annie were half-siblings throughout most of elementary school but according to Armin their parents split in middle school. The two apparently still consider each other to be siblings and live together with Bert in an apartment ever since Reiner came out as being "not exactly straight" to his mom.

Mikasa merely grinned slightly and nodded. "I understand completely, but I'm glad I can see you now," she said softly as she lead him through the living room and to the basement.

"Hope you and her still don't have that rivalry thing going on," Reiner added with light teasing in his voice. Mikasa shrugged and pulled at her scarf due to mostly the extreme heat. At least, she hoped it was just the heat.

"We'll have to see I guess," she responded while trying to sound as lighthearted as possible. Annie had never slipped her mind; Mikasa had been completely dreading reuniting with her long time "rival", but she, despite how much she may have secretly enjoyed the challenge of "Leonhardt", wanted to be friends this go-around. At least she wanted to try, but Annie and her had a long and more relentless history than Eren and Jean ever did. It sort of worried her in general for Annie can and may very well be her downfall, but if it came down to it Mikasa would fight once more.

Reiner chuckled lowly and for a moment Mikasa thought he was going to ruffle her hair but instead they continued down the stairs. "Good to hear," he finally said with a hint of tease still lingering on his voice. Silently in the back of her mind she wondered if Reiner understood her train of thought but she chose to ignore such things as she gripped the doorknob to the main area.

The basement was all set up when they entered. The couches and chairs were moved a side, a deep red-colored drum set took the place of the t.v. and amplifiers and chords littered the scene.

Mikasa's bare toes met with the soft carpet instantly and she went to go sit by Armin who was casually reading on one of the couches that was shoved into the corner.

Reiner and the other guys instantly erupted in laughter and talking as the group began to set up further. Jean hastily plugged in wires while profoundly cursing every time Marco said his bass still wasn't working. However, Eren seemed to be no help anyways and merely spout off rifts a bit arrogantly while Reiner had the easiest job of sitting at the drum set with his sticks.

It took about fifteen minutes for things to be in working order which was followed by a few minutes of scolding Eren for doing nothing, but they seemed to laugh it off quickly. Jean stood at the microphone with a white beat-up telecaster in his hands soon after, a look that Mikasa had never seen on his face- One that she couldn't quite explain either. He yelled a countdown from three into the mic and they were off.

They did mainly covers of songs but Mikasa was mesmerized nevertheless, even if she didn't show it. Occasionally she'd glance over at Armin but he seemed too caught up in his book to even acknowledge the near overwhelming music.

They seemed to be in harmony and Mikasa would sometimes catch them making eye contact with each other, as if they were reading each other's minds. Never did she think that Eren would be working with Jean in such a way, but it gave her a flutter of hope. If he could make amends with Jean, maybe she could with Annie, though the chances with slim and facing her once more made her sick; their last meeting before Mikasa left for Japan consisted of Annie, for the first time since their little rivalry started, said "I hate you." It shouldn't have stuck with Mikasa, it really shouldn't have, but it did, and she knew why. She didn't hate Annie.

"So what do you think?" Jean asked into the mic while eyeing Mikasa after about an hour and snapping her out of her trance. A bead of sweat trailed down his forehead and he panted lightly but otherwise he seemed energized. "We're pretty good, right?" Arrogant as always.

Mikasa grinned slightly and nodded. "Better than expected."

"Tch." Jean's left eye twitched lightly but it quickly faded. "Disregarding that, I propose a rager, Jaeger." He then averted his gaze towards Eren who was leaning against his amp and sipping water.

Eren raised an unsure eyebrow towards him as he set the water bottle down. "Y'know, last one of the summer and to welcome Mikasa back," Jean quickly added before Eren could question.

"I guess we could, but we can't go overboard like your "beginning of summer festival"." Eren sounded a bit sarcastic but it was followed with a smile; for the most part he seemed to be pretty open to it. Jean threw his fist into the air about instantly and near cheer before turning towards Marco.

"We gotta go get new threads." Jean wildly grinned and Marco merely grinned softly. Jean then reached into his back pocket, pulling out a ratty-looking wallet and opening it. "Yeah! I just got paid yesterday too. Cigarettes are on me this time."

"Alright, well I guess we're out for now. See you guys on...?" Marco said slowly while slowly eyeing at Eren.

"U-Uh, how about this Friday? Invite everyone you know," Eren slightly sputtered out while choking on some water and eyeing Armin. By this time Armin's book was closed and he easily caught Eren's gaze which was followed by a quick nod of the head.

"Will do!" Jean responded with vigor as he and Marco began packing up and they were gone within minutes but left sort of a mess in their wake.

Those who remained got to cleaning up the mess, including Armin and Mikasa. "Gonna have to go through dad's stash again," Eren sighed under his breath as he wound chords up messily and set them on shelves. Mikasa eyed him through the corner of her eye as she helped Reiner move his drums to the other side of the room.

Eren worried her more than any other and for proper reasons too. He was bull-headed sometimes, impulsive and his parents have a habit of not being there, but now she was there again. She would look out for him no matter what. Sure, others had their problems but Eren was special to her; special in a way that she couldn't describe.

Days passed from then and within those days Mikasa mostly job-hunted while becoming acquainted with Americaonce more. She encouraged Eren to do the same, Armin already having one at the grocer down the street, but he openly refused, claiming that his band will provide all the money he'll ever need. They were good admittedly but Mikasa only hoped that they were good enough, and she could tell that Eren hoped for the same.

To no one's real surprise, most jobs wanted Mikasa, especially after interviewing her. She considered all of them but eventually settled for a more than decent-paying movie theater. She'd be starting next Friday and would be working the late night shifts but she didn't really mind.

When Friday came around Mikasa was more or less excited. In Japan she hadn't made many friends so she'd never really experienced "high school"; rather she hadn't experienced all of the hormones, alcohol and recklessness that came with it. Of course, tonight she didn't plan on partaking in any of that. She only wished to have a nice time and make sure that no one gets killed. Normally this'd be considered being a killjoy but by no one it's almost always implied that she means Eren and only Eren.

She dressed casually for the event for she knew this party was bound to make a mess. She pulled on dark tights and a short dark skirt while her shirt was a mere light green loose-fitting tank top with, of course, her scarf. After she dressed she didn't even glance at herself in the mirror before heading downstairs which was already cranking music loud enough to hurt her ears; just thank God Eren had decent taste in music. Nevertheless, she hoped for a great night with her friends.

When she reached the main floor the party was just hardly getting started from what she could see. Jean, Marco and Thomas were all standing around the cooler of booze and chatting relentlessly. Eren and Armin sat next to each other on a couch facing the window in the living room but seemed to be holding entirely different conversations; Eren was talking a bit flirtatiously with two girls who Mikasa had never seen before while Armin spoke in a more peaceful tone towards what looked to be petite blonde girl who could only be described as Christa.

Mikasa eyed the two girls with something that could only be described as malice; they gave her a bad feeling in her gut even if she wouldn't admit it. The feeling lingered so much it took a moment of prying her gaze from the girls she decided it'd be best to go by Christa and see how she's been doing.

As she made her way over people seemed to come pouring through both the front and back doors. The noises around Mikasa intensified greatly and she found it was becoming harder to walk. Eventually though she made it to Christa who greeted her with a sweet hug almost instantly. "How've you been!" Christa asked cheerfully over the music as they both sat down. "I don't normally come to parties but I heard you were back!"

"I've been well," Mikasa responded, also over the music, but in a calmer tone. They continued to converse this way and Armin joined in as well. When Ymir arrived however Mikasa was slightly surprised at how physical she was with Christa with the constant nuzzling, light nibbles and squeezing on Ymir's part. Despite, Armin acted as if this was normal and continued to converse normally, so Mikasa did as well.

Christa constantly blushed and squirmed while occasionally whimpering, "Ymir.. Not here." in-between words as they all spoke which was met with Ymir only becoming more and more playful and rough with her actions as well as they conversed.

Eventually Mikasa excused herself politely, finding it appropriate as Ymir was near on top of Christa at this point and explicitly whispering into her ear. Even though it was whispering, Mikasa was uncomfortable and looked apologetically towards Armin before heading towards the stairs.

At this point the party was worthy of "rager". Drunk teenagers had invaded every inch of the downstairs and were either dancing, kissing or drinking and Mikasa silently thanked herself for stowing anything that was breakable away.

She continued to walk and as she passed by the door, as though it were fate, it opened, causing Mikasa to stop in her tracks and wince slightly at the light even though she was halfway across the room.

Her eyes turned towards the door and were instantly met with stone-cold blue orbs that contrasted so greatly with her soft brown ones that it almost hurt. Even if she was across the room she knew who they belonged to- Annie; it was impossible for her to forget a look like that. Mikasa's stomach dropped as she felt Annie's eyes piercing hers; she wasn't prepared for this. No, not yet. She had hoped that it'd be at school and they'd be paired for a project of something, causing them to be "bffs" forever.

For Mikasa this was about impossible and the scene played out similar to how it was in the movies. Time stopped seemingly, the room darkened around them and to Mikasa it felt as though they were the only two in the room, but certainly not because Annie was "the one", opposed to movies. Why was she even here? She could almost hear the unease in her own thoughts.

Mikasa felt the tension instantly raise but her expression remained unchanged, as did Annie's. But as soon as she could Mikasa turned away and continued walk-

"Hey Mikasa!" a voice bellowed over everything else. There was no mistaking who it was. Reiner, what are you doing? Mikasa silently thought to herself as she instantly stopped and turned her head back towards the direction that Annie was in.

Reiner and Bertholdt stood behind her like towers and Mikasa chided herself for not noticing them. The three of them seemed to be heading towards her at an alarming speed through the crowd from Mikasa's perspective. Bert looked a bit uneasy but grinned, Reiner sported the largest grin imaginable and Annie remained emotionless. Their eyes met once more as they neared as well but Mikasa was quick to flicker them away as quickly as possible.

"Where were you going?" Reiner questioned as they came to a stop in front of her. "Don't tell me you were running away from us." The edges of Mikasa's mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly in a half-hearted smile. She shook her head, her fingers gingerly toying with her scarf while being careful to only look at the two towering teenagers.

"Bathroom." She lied as promptly as she could, but thankfully she was hard to read in the first place.

"Well, we'll let you go then but we'll be here when you get back," Reiner said slowly while staring down at her. Mikasa worried that he could read her from the way he responded but she continued to grin anyways. "So hurry back, alright?" He then smiled in that same teasing manner and that's when she knew. She gave an inward sigh and nodded, glancing down for a moment. Foolishly, she glanced at Annie and she felt herself tense further, even if she was seemingly focusing on something across the room.

"Okay, thank you." Her eyes quickly averted back towards Reiner who seemed to look a little apologetic at this point. She then quickly sidestepped, glancing back towards the group as she did so and found Bertholdt near gawking at Anni, but was quick to snap her gaze away.

That's right, Mikasa thought to herself as she calmly headed towards the stairs. For some reason the sight calmed her, as if it gave Annie an air of humanity. Bertholdt likes Annie, he's always liked her.

What a weird way to relieve yourself, she silently thought as she climbed the stairs. She shrugged it off and came to the guest room, assuming that it was better to not question.

As she opened the door to the guest room she was instantly met with an "Oh shit!", along with the strong scent of cigarette smoke that near made her eyes water. Mikasa's eyes widened; it was Jean's voice, and.. She only caught a glance but she definitely knew what Jean was doing in there.

Almost instantly she slammed the door shut while inhaling sharply. Mikasa looked as though she'd seen a ghost and she might as well have. Though she couldn't see who was... Below him, it was still embarrassing nevertheless, especially for someone who was as coy as Mikasa when it came to intimacy.

She let out a shaky sigh and leaned against the door for a moment. Mikasa was quick to collect herself and quickly glanced over at the floor below. Reiner, Bert and Annie were all standing casually in the same spot with drinks in their hands but was joined by Connie.

Mikasa was thankful that it was too loud for them to notice her and so she continued to the bathroom down the hall. However when she reached the door she thought it'd be within her better judgement to not go in; she could hear the gurgling and sputtering of someone vomiting from yards away.

Mentally she sighed and decided to head back down. All of the bathrooms were probably vomit-filled and she didn't particularly feel like dealing with that.

"JAEGER'S GONE APESHIT!" A voice yelled over the crowd as Mikasa made her way back down the stairs. Her head turned towards the voice but it was lost in a sea of teenagers. She assumed this was merely a joke of some sort and continued back towards Reiner and them, but was careful to keep an ear out. Right now all she had to do was get through this night with Annie, this night with the Annie that hates her. She swallowed hard at the thought.

"Ohhh man, someone's gonna get wrecked," a different voice came just as she was about to reach Reiner. Now she was thoroughly convinced something was wrong as her eyebrows furrowed together and she chided herself once more; how much trouble has Eren gotten himself into? She turned sharply and found that most of the people in the room were flooding out the back door while all saying similar things about Eren. She cursed under her breath and turned herself fully, forgetting Eren.

"Mikasa!" a voice yelled from behind just as she was about to start shoving people out of her way. She turned towards the voice and found a frantic-looking Armin who was near panting by the time he reached her. "Stop Eren!"

Mikasa didn't have to be told twice. The two shoved their way through the crowd while Mikasa constantly attempted to see over people's heads but to no avail, which only caused her to pursue more violently.

As she neared the end of the porch her arm was grabbed and she looked back to see what Armin really thought was so important in a situation like this. But no; it wasn't Armin. Their eyes clashed as opposites do, the piercing sensation returning; instead stood Annie who looked more unhappy than usual.

Their eyes remained locked for several moments and Mikasa's previous unease was replaced with the same spark that had lead the two to become rivals in the first place. "Let Jaeger fight his own battles." Despite the loud music she could hear Annie perfectly fine somehow, and she sounded as though it was far from a suggestion. This was a demand, and Mikasa was far from accepting such a thing from her.

Mikasa seemingly ignored her and tore away from her, only to be grabbed by the wrist with a more violent grip. This caused Mikasa to slowly turn back towards Annie while trying to convey that she had no time for bullshit. As she turned, Annie looked thoroughly irritated as their eyes locked once more.

"I mean it, Ackerman," Annie demanded once more in a threatening tone. "You're no different than before; always stepping in for Eren. That's why he's weak." Mikasa silently wondered why Annie wanted for her to leave him alone this badly; even in their younger days Annie only said such things unless it was she who was fighting Eren. Could that be it? Is this Annie's doing? The thought infuriated her to no end so once more Mikasa pulled away and this time she made sure to step away quickly before pausing.

"Don't talk about Eren. Don't touch him. Don't look at him." Mikasa's voice was vicious like a rabid dog but Annie seemed unfathomed. Annie merely stood there but her expression remained unchanged as Mikasa then continued into the crowd of people. And with that, all hope for befriending Annie faded for Mikasa; things would always be the same between them. What Bert saw in her exactly, she couldn't tell.

Mikasa ran through the people swiftly and very quickly made it to the railing of the porch. She looked over the edge and found people littering the backyard, but there was an opening in the middle. She could easily make out all who were present in the opening; Eren was standing a bit lopsidedly on the western with what looked to be a kitchen knife in his hand. Mikasa noted a trail of blood leading down from the top of his head while on the eastern side stood three older-looking guys. Two seemed to be of.. Japanese descent? While one bore close-cropped blonde hair.

Though in the middle of it all.. There stood Armin, his arms out and Mikasa could tell that he was trying to stop whatever was going on. As expected the crowd was against this and often shouted profanities at Armin in their drunken stupors, but Mikasa knew that Armin was only stalling for her to show up.

Without hesitation Mikasa leaped from the porch and landed in the crowd of people. She easily shoved all who got in her way aside and made it to the opening where she could coherently hear everything that was going on.

"F.. Fuck you!" Eren screeched like a psychopath. "I'll kill you!"

"Eren, please calm down," Armin suggested cautiously. "You're drunk and these guys only stopped by to have some fun with us, right?" His eyes turned towards the three guys distraughtly.

"We actually came here for Jaeger," the blonde one stated bluntly with a heavy accent of some sort as he slowly pulled his shirt up, revealing what looked to be a glock. Mikasa bit her bottom lip and tried to think quickly; depending on who these guys were, Eren and Armin could very well die.

"There's no need for that!" Armin insisted as his actions grew more and more impulsive.

"Eh, 'ja? So Jaeger can beat a man half dead but we can't?" The blonde seemed to be growing impatient as he gripped the gun and whipped it out, pointing it directly towards Eren.

"I'm sure that-" Armin winced as he was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a bottle being smashed over the blonde guy's head. Alcohol exploded over his head and he instantly collapsed, leaving his counterparts just as shocked as everyone else.

The two others that were left quickly snapped out of it and jumped at Mikasa simultaneously. Mikasa jumped at least three feet into the air as the two collided as if by some sort of magic, followed by her feet planting into their skulls and shoving their faces into the dirt.

"If you all don't leave right now, I'm calling the police!" Mikasa didn't hesitate and was yelling the second she landed on their heads. She held up a phone as she did so, one that she'd pried from some drunken guy, and the crowd seemed to understand the severity of her words; "police" seemed to be the only thing that drunken people can understand, or maybe it was her showcase that convinced them.

"Psycho bitch!" Mikasa heard someone yell, but it didn't bother her; she was actually relieved because people instantly began flooding out of the backyard as well as the house.

As people ran by in blurs Mikasa went to Eren and helped Armin bring him back to the house while weaving through people. The second they stepped inside they were met with a blubbering Jean with his shirt half tucked into his pants.

"I-Uh. Mikasa it wasn't what it-" Jean incoherently spat out before Marco grabbed ahold of him.

"We'll get out of here, and welcome back Mikasa," Marco butted-in, but it was in the sweetest tone before he began to take Jean out the back. Mikasa said a quiet thank you but was more preoccupied with bringing Eren to the basement.

Thankfully it was basically untouched, having previously locked the door to the main room. Mikasa set Eren down on one of the couches while Armin scrambled to get a first aid kit. Mikasa continued to take Eren's shirt off, though he wasn't any help at all for he seemed to have gone unconscious while they were walking.

Mikasa could tell that he would be beaten for bruises littered his abdomen as if he was kicked repeatedly. Wounds littered his face as well but Mikasa was mostly worried about possible broken bones or internal bleeding.

Armin came back in minutes and Mikasa allowed him to take care of things while watching from a distance. She silently wondered if all parties of Eren's ended like this, and it was certainly worrying.

Mikasa continued to wait silently and stared up at the ceiling until she heard the footsteps cease, signifying that everyone had finally left. Her mind drifted from then; how could she have been so careless? She was meant to look after him and she could hardly help him escape death from what it looked like. If only she wasn't so caught up on Annie. If she had never come, if she never distracted her then maybe..

"It's rare that Annie shows up to these things," Armin abruptly stated as he worked arduously to dress Eren's wounds. It was as if he was reading her mind but for Armin that wouldn't be too much of a surprise. She glanced down at him almost instantly as he spoke and he looked towards her eventually as well.

"She came for you I think, though I don't really know why.." Armin trailed off slowly before turning back towards Eren. Mikasa remained expressionless and chose to not respond as she glanced back up towards the ceiling. For me? She silently asked herself. The one who you hate?

* * *

**A/N:** OTP. Once I submit this to AON I may take it down here.


	2. Chapter 2

Mikasa II

I"I am a little bit of loneliness a little bit of disregard

Handful of complaints but I can't help the fact that everyone can see these scars

I am what I want you to want what I want you to feel

But it's like no matter what I do, I can't convince you, to just believe this is real

So I let go, watching you, turn your back like you always do

Face away and pretend that I'm not

But I'll be here 'cause you're all that I got."/I

The party was similar to a washed-up popstar. At the time everything felt like a great, things were ample, nothing was ever a bad idea, and bam, there came the narcotics, hallucinogenics, stimulants; you name it. However instead of drugs a gang, Annie Leonhardt (this was debatable) and booze took their place, but either way. Soon enough this party would be talked about as if it was worthy of "legendary" but even Mikasa knew that it was a bust. Sooner rather than later it'd be regarded as the party in which "this psycho bitch knocked out three guys and almost called the police" and ruined everything.

This Mikasa was perfectly okay with but she had difficulty with coping with the previous night for several sparse reasons. The three guys who she knocked out were found to be part of a gang and scrambled away from the compound at daybreak. This wasn't what was bothering Mikasa though, it was Annie. Was she really involved in all of this? Yes, she supposedly hates Mikasa but she couldn't quite grasp how someone could possibly hold that amount of vulgarity within themselves, but maybe she was just being naive, she thought. Annie Leonhardt was now regarded as an enemy.

Mikasa glanced over towards Eren's sleeping form across the room. For a moment her thoughts ceased and she could only feel ache of something deep within her. Whether this ache came from her lack of responsibility or something else that was buried beneath, she was unsure. Eren undoubtedly had a lot to do with it but she ached for another reason, and this reason seemed to be the source of all her sudden distraught.

'Was it the way I fought?' She considered within the depths of her own mind. Her eyes flickered away and she tried considering it. She was relentless, dirty and merciless. It reminded so much of... No, forget it.

It could just be that America in general was a mistake, but she refused to believe that. Though it may be selfish, she believed she belonged there surrounded by those who loved her. She silently considered the remorse for not being able to befriend Annie, but denied it just as quickly as she thought of it.

Mikasa got up from the couch once Armin finally returned from gathering more supplies. "Please don't worry so much." His voice was soft and fragile and caught her by surprise. "I see it in your eyes. I promise to have Eren tell you everything when he wakes up."

She stared blankly and nodded like a hollow shell of a person. She knew that no such thing would happen. Eren hated it whenever Mikasa got too involved. "Thank you," she uttered through a strained voice. Armin smiled half-heartedly towards her and nodded before she proceeded out.

She retired to the guest room for the first time since she started staying there. It still smelled heavily of nicotine and teenage hormones but she disregarded it. She quietly shut the door behind her and stripped an article of her clothing with every step until she was down to her undergarments.

She slumped onto the bed instantly and laid there for a few moments with her face buried in the lush pillows. The previous night played through her mind once more and Annie only stuck out more in her mind. Perhaps this is why they became rivals in the first place. Maybe, Mikasa wondered near drunkenly, maybe the only way I don't feel admiration is by beating her.

The thought was lost near instantly, as was Mikasa as her consciousness drifted to further planes.

The days leading up to school were uneventful and filled with buying last minute school supplies and groceries. Never again did anyone speak of the party within the three but that's just how things were. They avoided things that could potentially tear them apart and they allowed for each other to have their fair share of secrets, this would just have to be Eren and Armin's.

However as the days grew closer Mikasa didn't know if she was dreading school starting or if she was looking forward to it. According to Armin Annie was one of the students who would constantly disappear but still managed to pass. Even if Annie was there, this would be her last year before going off to university and, as bothered by things as she was, she wanted to make the best of things with her last year with her friends.

"Sing for us." The voice was gentle and the words were soaked with honey. Mikasa slowly lifted eyes from a dark brown book that she gripped tightly in her hands. Eren laid on the couch next to the one she was sitting on with a bag of frozen peas pressed up against his forehead. Was it really him who said that? It sounded completely out of character. Mikasa assumed so for Armin was too busy spouting off measures at the time on a portable piano on the floor, however now he was paused and was staring up at her.

"Please?" Eren asked once more. He knew Mikasa. She would've questioned him in an instant, but she couldn't seem to resist this time.

She closed her book and set it down next to her uncomfortably. She didn't seem to know what to do but Eren seemingly wanted to leave her to her own devices.

"Do you remember our most favorite movie as kids?" It was random succeeded several moments of silence, causing Eren to perk up a bit but he nodded anyways, as did Armin.

"Peter Pan..?" Eren stated but it was more of a question than anything. Mikasa nodded and stood as hands carefully straightened the ruffles of her skirt.

"And do you remember the musical?" Eren shook his head but Armin nodded once more. Her and Armin's eyes met as he did so and she proceeded to clear her throat.

"Do you remember Never Never Land by Jule Stynes?" This time it was directed solely towards Armin who nodded once again.

"Could you play it on the piano for me?"

"I don't remember entirely by memory so your voice will have to make up for what I don't know." His voice sounded apologetic as he looked up at her.

She didn't respond quickly. Perhaps she was contemplating still but eventually she nodded. She continued to inhale sharply and, even if Armin had never worked with her, he could tell she was about to start, and they began.

Her voice was like milk despite how tense she was. Armin too concentrated hard on what he was doing and the piano only added to the sweetness of her voice.

Eren however found himself drifting through space while each note rang in his ear like an angel's hymn.

I"... Just keep an open mind and suddenly you'll find... Never.. Never land."/I

Light shone through the cracks in the blinds that belonged to the only window in the basement. It was directly behind the couch Mikasa was sitting and was small, but yet the beams hit her directly at just the right angle.

Mikasa's eyes hazily blinked open, her head turning away from the light as her dark hair spread out sparsely on the floor. She clutched Homer's Oddyssey tightly to her chest she found but continued to lay disoriented on the floor for several moments. The night before slowly came back before finally realizing that she'd spent her last night of summer serenading her best friends away, and even herself, unless that was a dream.

With her mind still a mess she continued to prepare herself for the day, as did Armin who decided it'd be for the best if Eren stayed at home.

Both if them got ready exceedingly quickly and made their way to school in silence, but it wasn't an awkward one. The two had their own thoughts to bury themselves in and they each mutually respected that.

"You should really think of singing professionally," Armin finally spoke up as they neared the school. So, not a dream. Mikasa wanted to almost tell him how silly he sounded for suggesting such a thing but she decided against it.

"Was I good enough?" After minutes Mikasa finally chose to respond with doubt hanging on her words. She stopped turned to Armin as they stood at the entrance.

Armin nodded in response and smiled with reassurance. "The best." His voice came out weak and quietly as he opened the door but Mikasa could tell he was being genuine.

They went their separate ways but vowed to find each other at lunch. Now this is where it all would start for real. Mikasa took sharp breaths while glancing at the map of all of the rooms that Armin had marked with her classes.

IChorus

AP World History

Honors English

Latin III

Lunch

Science

Math

Gym/I

She read the list to herself quietly as people began to flood into the halls. She looked up as determination set in her gaze and she proceeded.

The first portion of the day went by quickly as her classes were littered with old friends. They made her smile and occasionally laugh but she still managed to keep her focus. She completely forgot what it was like to have people she actually liked in her classes.

At lunch she sat next to Sasha and Armin while Ymir and Christa sat next to him. Sasha constantly pestered her for her food while Jean, Marco and Connie sat across from them. Jean acted weirdly towards Mikasa but she didn't take it too personally as she had the rest of their friends to converse with.

"Hey!" A voice came crashing in like an asteroid hitting an ant. Mikasa grimaced inwardly and winced slightly as her mind came crashing back. She scolded herself mentally for forgetting completely about Reiner and them and ate more fiercely.

As she remained silent the others greeted the voice and shared some laughs up until Reiner decided to press a but harder.

"Sorry we never got to catch up, Mikasa." The voice came once more and her eyes slowly lifted from her food. Her fork dropped to her tray and she placed a small grin on her face as their eyes met .

"It's okay, we have all year," Mikasa responded calmly as her fingers laced the end of her scarf.

"Yeah, but our last year," he said with disappointment in his voice. "You'll have to come over sometime and hang out with me, Annie and Bert."

"I agree." She lied coherently once more. Mikasa was curious as to why Reiner was so persistent in wanting to torture her so badly but she went along with it.

"Great! Have Eren call us." He flashed his signature warm grin before waving and heading into the sea of high schoolers. Mikasa followed him with her eyes as she slowly became lost in thought until she came to a conclusion-

"Hey, the bell's going to ring soon." Armin snapped her out of her trance and set a hand on her shoulder. Mikasa turned towards him as he spoke and found worry buried deep in his eyes. What's wrong? She could almost hear him ask her.

Her silence that followed ushered him to speak even further. "We have the next three classes together? So let's get going, okay?" His mouth twitched up into a grin and now she was sure that Armin really was wondering, but she remained quiet and nodded.

"Sooo.. You're not going to finish that?" Sasha raised a curious eyebrow as she leaned up against Mikasa a bit too closely. Mikasa blinked and shook her head.

"It's yours." Sasha cheered with satisfaction and indulged herself without hesitation as Mikasa got up with Armin.

Leading up to gym things were pretty uneventful but Mikasa didn't mind, she needed to save her energy for that class anyways. Plus, it was the only class that she had with all of her friends.

Them all being seniors more was expected of them, and that statement was especially true in gym. Their gym teacher was short, angry-looking and clad in a white button-up shirt and dress pants. He didn't look as though he was really gym teacher material but at least looked to be in good shape.

He had the entire class stand outside on the track in a line in the heat, all facing him as if he were a military general. "I am Levi," he introduced himself with more apathy than expected. "But you all will call me Rivaille." The moment his eyes shot up from the keyboard, everyone knew to be terrified.

Sasha and Connie both trembled but kept up stupid grins while Marco and Jean merely exchanged fearful looks and hard swallows with Reiner and Bert following suit. Mikasa kept a straight face as Ymir and Christa did, and Armin tried his best to as well but his eyebrows couldn't help but tremble.

"Now I will take attendance and for every missing student I will add that many laps multiplied by ten," Rivaille decreed.

"L-Laps? On the first day?" Sasha asked while rubbing her neck. Levi merely had to glance towards her before she jumped back to attention and gulped. There would be no questioning in this class.

Rivaille continued to call out the attendance. Eren was missing of course so there was ten laps, but apparently he wasn't the only one.

"Annie Leonhardt," Rivalle called out once more and was sure to be much louder. No response. "Okay, ten more-"

"Sir," Reiner interrupted just as Rivalle placed the tip of his own to the clipboard. "Look." He then pointed towards the doors which were at least a hundred yards behind Levi.

Rivaille sharply turned towards the door just as they opened. Out came the pasty blonde who was clad in her usual white sweatshirt and black shorts that went down to her mid-thighs.

Annie ran quickly out to the track but her presence didn't fathom Mikasa for once. An obsession that may just all be in your head is unhealthy, which is what Mikasa finally came to at lunch. And if she can somehow get over this stupid unspoken rivalry, great. But if Leonhardt does choose to light sparks, Mikasa decided that she would make sure that she would get burned somehow. For the sake of Eren, but this is only what she told herself.

Deep down she... She couldn't put her finger on it but. Well, rather she knew that really-

"Ackerman!" Rivaille growled. "Why don't you go join Leonhardt with some extra running after class to clear your head?"

Mikasa instantly stood at attention and nodded solemnly. "Yes, Rivaille." She sounded like a drone but she knew there were no negotiations with him.

"Good, now everyone get running! I expect ten laps in the next fifteen minutes, now go!" Rivaille sounded like a drill sergeant but it worked; the entire class took off. That was one way to get teenagers motivated Mikasa assumed.

Mikasa was supposedly the first to finish with five minutes left to spare. She panted as she jogged up to Rivaille who pointed her towards the field to the right of the track near instantly.

"Go practice with Leonhardt while everyone else finishes. Our first unit will be soccer," he said monotonously. Annie was already done? Mikasa wondered if she was getting out of shape if she came in that far behind.

After a moment Rivaille's eyes slowly drifted up from his clipboard, meeting Mikasa's for a moment. She proceeded to give a quick nod before running over to the field. Mikasa wasn't really expecting it but Annie was practicing. From what Armin had told her Annie skipped out on gym the most, and when she did show up she'd find ways to avoid the activity without going noticed. That's one thing that's changed, Mikasa silently thought as she neared the field. Annie always loved physical activities, especially sports. Or rather, especially soccer.

"Annie," Mikasa called as she slowly came to a stop a few feet in front of Annie. Annie seemed in her own world at the time and constantly kicked the ball into the air before hitting it with her head, knees and chest without it ever touching the ground.

She didn't seem to hear Mikasa, or maybe she just didn't care. Mikasa didn't really mind and stood still, her eyes following the ball like a ghost. Things were fine, she was fine with just watching until the ball came flying at her abdomen at an alarming speed.

It caught Mikasa off-guard but she managed to at least hold her hands out. She caught it just barely but her stomach absorbed much of the impact. Mikasa winced but she assumed that she was holding back; she knew very well that Annie could have her on her back right now if she wanted to.

"Handball." Mikasa looked up and found that Annie was staring with that same uncaring look in her eyes.

"Not if I'm the goalie," she remarked finally as she dropped the ball. It rolled towards Annie as if beckoning for her to try again.

Annie's stare changed and their gazes clashed. Mikasa recognized these eyes more than any other and truthfully she liked these eyes more than any other. Annie's eyes read "I'm going to cut out your tongue and eat it", or that's how Mikasa would describe it in their younger days. The flame was back.

Mikasa near smirked as her stance widened and she held her hands out in front of her. The ball continued to slowly roll towards Annie as their eyes stayed in a fierce lock.

Slowly she paced back as the ball came to a stop when in an instant she darted forwards. Her foot cut through the air sharply, .making a swooshing sound before connecting with the ball. It soared into the air one foot, two feet, three feet... Until it was about a foot above Mikasa's. Easily Mikasa leaped into the air, her arms outstretched. The ball stung greatly as it made contact but Mikasa quickly swatted it down. It landed a few feet in front of where Annie once was and for a moment Mikasa thought she had prevailed, but this was a foolish mistake.

Annie had already began running for it and in a split second Mikasa was diving. There was no way she could recover from the jump and block the next kick at the same time at this range so instead she took the proactive route.

The two collided near instantly. Mikasa's head met Annie's stomach while the ball and Annie's foot met Mikasa's stomach. Annie let out a low grunt as she shoved Mikasa off the second she could, which was when she landed on the ground promptly.

Annie had no problems with getting her off. Not to mention, just as Mikasa guessed, Annie was scrambling to her feet for the ball. Between there was a set of rules that, despite it was unspoken since the two became rivals, existed. One of these was that winning was winning, and when someone won there was no redemption. Well, that is until the loser finally wins again.

Mikasa was scrambling to leap at Annie's foot just as it began to swing back once more. Her foot made contact with the side of Mikasa's head, causing things to go black for a moment but inertia kept her body going.

Her arms wrapped around the leg that was stabilizing Annie on the ground as the rest of her body's force caused it to buckle.

"Fuck!" Mikasa could hear Annie curse venomously under her breath. Though most of what just happened was far from proper soccer protocol, Annie knew that she'd lost. Mikasa decisively blocked and prevented her from getting a "goal".

What Mikasa wasn't expecting was for Annie to roll herself on top of her and to start punching as if she'd snapped. Mikasa pulled her arms up over her face and she could tell that the punches were half-hearted. This is degrading for yourself Annie, why are you doing this? Mikasa so badly wanted to ask her but bit her tongue instead. Not to mention she was breaking one of their most important rules; winning is winning.

Eventually the half-hearted punches grew more forceful and Mikasa had no choice. She bucked her hips and removed the arms from her face. She took a punch to the cheek but managed to grab the other incoming punch. Mikasa rolled herself on top of Annie, pinning her arm above her head.

"An-" Mikasa hardly uttered anything before was head-butted suddenly and kicked over. This kick was one that most certainly belonged to Annie Leonhardt, this time Mikasa was sure of it. She was sent rolling on the grass but managed to land on her stomach just as Annie leaped at her.

The two continued to wrestle in the same way. Annie would throw vicious punches and kicks while Mikasa tried to get her off repeatedly but Leonhardt was relentless.

The two only stopped because Rivaille had forced them to. For some reason he chose to not send them to the office but he certainly was far from happy.

"When I say Ipractice/I I mean practice passing, not grappling." Rivaille growled like a dog and eyed the two coldly. Annie and Mikasa stood facing each other with scrapes, bruises and grass-stained clothing but neither was willing to show any emotion.

"Now go run. I'll tell you when to stop," Levi ordered as he sharply turned around. He left the two on their own. Mikasa was the first to start running but she noticed Annie following closely after.

The rest of the class was gone by the time they made it to the track but this was fine. Mikasa tried her best to make some distance between her and Annie while silently wondering how she could possibly be running in a sweatshirt in this weather. This was Florida and on the summer-fall cusp. She sighed inwardly. Annie always had worn sweatshirts even when it was hot enough to fry an egg.

After an hour Mikasa was told to stop by Rivaille, just a few minutes behind Annie."You smell. Go shower," he'd tell her while pinching his nose to add emphasis. Sweat trailed down her face and she accepted gratefully while panting.

When she entered the locker room she was instantly met with steam and the sound of a shower. For the most part Mikasa ignored it and went straight for her locker. However she had to acknowledge it when she made her way over in the direction of the showers. It was an open shower area, how quaint. She had stripped naked and had nothing to hide herself with but she didn't care.

As expected Annie was already there, naked as well with her back to the wall.

The way she stood there reminded Mikasa of a corpse. Her eyes were glued to the floor as the water beat on her head. Her head. Mikasa hadn't ever recalled seeing Annie with her hair down but she tried her best to not even glance towards her.

Mikasa turned on the shower across from Annie, not wanting to be next to her. She turned her back to Annie and stared at the ground as well as even more steam clouded the room. Silently Mikasa made a list of things she needed to do when she got home to get her mind off of things. Homework, Eren, calling her parents.. She sighed quietly by accident but was sure that Annie didn't hear and if she did she didn't care.

She continued to turn slightly and reach for one of the soap dispensers on the wall after a few minutes of thought. She had to step out of the warmth slightly to press it. Water dripped from her milky skin as she did so and felt a tingle of cold.

The cold was short lived for in a moment's time she was pressed up against the wall as water pattered back down onto her form. She winced, not expecting any other "eventful" things to happen that day.

When Mikasa regained her bearings she opened her eyes slowly and met Annie's steely ones. She had her shoulders pinned to the wall and she was dangerously close.

"Why?" It was weak and frail and for a minute Mikasa had to wonder if someone else was in the room. But no, it was Annie. The flame in her eyes looked dead once more as her eyebrows trembled.

She was weak.

Mikasa could have easily shoved her off but for some reason she allowed for Annie to stay.

Neither spoke from then. Annie's gaze slowly dropped to the floor so Mikasa's did as well. As Mikasa glanced down she made note of Annie's toned form. She had definitely grown from the fourth grade.

The two remained silent and staring at the ground for several moments more. The silence was surprisingly calm and the water hitting the tiles played as the rhythm to Annie's breathing.

Mikasa could feel the sudden surge in Annie's heartbeats through her palms. Mikasa didn't know what to make of them exactly. She almost asked, but she bit it back. She wasn't meant to comfort her rival, this was a silent mutual agreement, as were many things within their relationship. One of which was broken today already, but Mikasa put that aside.

Mikasa looked up after some time and found Annie who looked far calmed despite what her pulse said. She looked to have been waiting for her. IWhat's really wrong?/I Mikasa asked silently, hoping that Annie would hear her and it wouldn't have to break their agreement.

Perhaps this was an answer, or Annie was on a different wavelength entirely. Either way, Mikasa found herself anticipating it as her eyelids slowly fluttered shut.

Their lips pressed together and it was the gentlest thing Mikasa had every experienced yet it managed to feel so raw. It was confusing; the way that rage intertwined with sadness but admittedly it gave the kiss a sense of euphoria.

At first, despite being able to sense it, Mikasa tensed and her lips remained still. She could taste the salty sweat on Annie's lips as well as something else but for some reason it didn't bother Mikasa, in fact she beckoned it.

IHer lips are soft./I This was the first thing that came to Mikasa's mind, though she didn't know what to do.

Kissing her rival; was this against their agreements? As she silently debated Annie had began to pull away. Mikasa could feel hurt overtaking the kiss as Annie pulled away, but Mikasa wouldn't allow it.

She kissed her with all of the passion she could muster, wanting the feeling of Annie's soft lips just a little longer just as their lips were about to leave contact. Mikasa was relieved to find that it pulled Annie back into it. If this was the only way she could comfort an enemy, she'd do it and she'd do it to the best of her ability.

Annie's hands slowly lifted their force on Mikasa's shoulder and instead ran along the slick skin of her arms as she cautiously stepped closer.

Mikasa tried her best to urge her to her hands shakily set themselves on her shoulders. Annie brought herself even closer as they tried to find a rhythm in what they were doing.

Their bodies touched and what felt like hours only lasted seconds, but neither seemed to mind.

They kissed until Mikasa's hands began to wander towards her back. As if they were in sync they both simultaneously pulled their lips and bodies away from the other's. Admittedly this was the saddest part of it all for Mikasa but they both knew it was time.

Annie continued to back towards her shower. Mikasa assumed Annie was going stay a bit longer and turned off the shower she was using. She wasn't expecting to have her first kiss that way but she wondered if that even counted as a kiss. It was comfort, the only way they could.

Mikasa tied her hair up and dressed herself before leaving with brisk. They both knew that outside of that they were to remain hostile- rivals. Whatever went on there Mikasa didn't want to think about yet she couldn't help it. She wondered why she cared so much for Annie despite when a thought she had forgotten came back to her- Admiration. She could feel herself cringe at such a thing for she knew that, even if she didn't admit it, it was something much more.

As she walked home she tried her best to get her mind off of things. She thought about how nice her chorus teacher Petra was and recalled all of the antics of the days.

Connie mistaking Armin for a girl and openly hitting on him, Sasha stealing from the teacher's lounge and Jean being sent to the office for "language".

Each of the events made Mikasa smile and she wondered how Eren would interact with their new gym teacher. She assumed that it wouldn't end well but it was a gateway for further shenanigans.

When Mikasa made it back to the Jaeger household she found that people were waiting for her. Eren's band all sat in the living room with drinks all in-hand. She was thankful that Eren looked a lot better than the previous day but she was confused.

"How could you skip out on us, Mikasa?" Reiner asked followed by a long gulp from what looked to be a beer of sorts. Mikasa raised an eyebrow and eyed him. Could Eren really get around that quickly while being at home? She assumed she had technology to thank for that.

"I, um.." Mikasa blinked and wasn't sure of what to say. Singing wasn't really something that she thought was of up-most importance.

"She has the stuff, I'm telling you!" Eren insisted as Reiner looked at him apprehensively.

"It's true," Armin added as he stepped into the room. He was clad in an apron and seemed to be doing some chores but he looked serious enough. Reiner eyed him and seemed convinced but didn't say much else.

"Why don't you sing for us?" Marco suggested after things went silent. Mikasa felt unnerved; she didn't ask for this. She hated doing most things that had to do with performance, but-

She glanced towards Eren who looked hopeful and her eyebrows furrowed. "Okay," she agreed, giving in.


	3. Chapter 3

Mikasa III

Mikasa's head was a jumbled mess, but it seemed to be like this since that stupid party. So many questions, so much left unanswered. How could her feelings change so drastically over a 72 hour period? At the party she was near loathing but today she only wanted to comfort her. Maybe she always felt this way but their rivalry kept either from feeling anything outside of that. One thing was for sure though; something was definitely wrong with Annie and it didn't have to do with Mikasa. Never would Annie have broken their rules in the past and she refused to even consider that Annie did it without good reason.

Maybe that's why she couldn't help but care for her? Their rules were being pushed to the limit because of this, but Mikasa knew that inside there was more to it than she was willing to admit.

She sighed shakily soon after. She thought that she abandoned these thoughts at the school but she was far from wrong. She bit her lip and stared up at the ceiling of the guest room.

All she knew for sure is that she'd continue to do it. No need to question further. No one could get hurt this way and that's all that mattered. At least Mikasa hoped that no one would get hurt.

Leaving it on that note, her thoughts slowly wandered back towards Eren. Today she left his band stupefied without a doubt. It was obvious that they wanted her singing for them and Mikasa being Mikasa she couldn't deny them, especially Eren.

She almost hated herself for agreeing. She was fickle enough as it was and she had even been invited to their all-night jam session that would be held at Eren's once more after her first day of work. To get herself through it she told herself that it was for Eren- Everything was for Eren.

She rolled herself over in the bed and buried her face in the pillow. What a fucked up first month in America, but her parents were the last people she wanted to have known about her endeavors. The let out a small sigh as she remembered, brought herself to sit up and grabbed her blue phone from off the dresser.

She flipped it open, being met with the same picture as always, yet for some reason it didn't give off the same vibe. She glanced over the faces as she did a thousand times; Jean had Eren in a near headlock, Marco was trying his best to stop them before the picture would be taken, Connie had permanent marker on his face from when Sasha had caught him sleeping in class while she only looked to be laughing uncontrollably in the photo as Christa tried to stop them and Ymir stood casually with a smug grin and a hand on top of Christa's head. All of these particular parts of the photo made her grin, but when it came to her a pang of bittersweet hit her. In the picture she was more or less forced to stand next to Annie due to heights and, as crazy as it may have sounded, they were both smiling.

Mikasa stared at the photo for a moment more. That was possibly the best day of her life despite the "hate confession" from Annie that proceeded it.

The thoughts faded from her mind as quickly as they came and within a few moments she was on the phone with her mother.

Their phone call was short lived and normal from as far as Mikasa could tell. She told her mom about her day (minus the parts that included Annie), told her that they were feeding her well and continued on her way for the night.

After that day things didn't seem to change at all for an entire week. Mikasa would go to school with Armin while Eren stayed at home, would enjoy her day greatly, but then gym would come along.

Mikasa and Annie kept their distance from each other in the class but would obviously be competing. Whether it be kick drills or running, the two always strived to outdo each other just as they did in their elementary school days; it was an endless game of cat and mouse. Mikasa didn't have any real problem with the way things were happening, but then it came time to leave.

Normally her mind would be far from the locker room activities, as she only strived to beat Leonhardt in that particular task. Due to this merciless obsession, every day she would find herself staying after class, working until she was bone tired and sweat dripped from her every aching pore., as did Annie. One day she even recalled Annie looking "attractive" with exhaustion; the bun in her hair was messy, the look in her eyes were animalistic and the sweat gave her skin a gleam, but Mikasa's mind instantly rejected the thoughts from branching out further.

Following this the two would always go into the locker room with one always going in a few minutes before the other. But when they both finally got to the showers their intimacy would almost instantly ensue as if it was natural, and admittedly Mikasa couldn't tell that it was ever unnatural.

Every day the two would exchange confusing hate-filled, hurt-filled kisses with even the touch of lust that not only met their lips, but littered their skin as well; the skin of their necks, shoulders, ears, collarbones. and every day their boundaries would grow a bit further. On the third day Mikasa even got to touch her breasts with Annie's hands on her behind, and the next day she could gently feel them, as Annie did for her. _They're as soft as her lips_, Mikasa noted as her thumb rubbed constant circles over her skin which was immediately followed by desperate, strained gasps.

They would always be so gentle with each other. Their hands would even wander over the previous wounds inflicted by each other over time. Mikasa had even found that Annie still had a scar on her hip from where the two had a baseball mishap, but she wasn't the only one with battle scars. On the nape of her neck was a pretty decent scar that was most always kept hidden by her hair. Never be around Annie while she's cooking, Mikasa noted when she was younger, but she was far over it and constantly forgot about it. In spite of this, the moment Annie even neared the area it'd constantly send chills down Mikasa's spine as if it were the most sensual thing she thing. The wounds were inflicted upon each other in the first place, but nonetheless they always handled the areas more tenderly than others; it was as if it were a healing in some way.

On the more carnal side of their of their ventures they would often exchange soft gasps and moans that they so desperately tried to keep hidden. The only thing that Mikasa would find weird about it (oddly) was the fact that Annie seemed extremely sensitive about her back. Whenever Mikasa's hands or lips would wander in that direction Annie near jerked away from her and seemingly refused to let her even look at it. This was a shame and Mikasa knew it, but she'd respect it and they would continue with their endeavors.

Never did they question each other's for being there, though at least Mikasa had burning questions that she managed to keep bitten back, for it was for the best. This was the only way, she'd remind herself. The only way that she could ever care for Annie Leonhardt.

Every day sadly came to a close however but Mikasa slowly found herself anticipating it as gym would slowly come to a close; she even feared that it'd become her favorite part of the day. It was the only time of the day where someone held her, where she felt close to someone and where she could help for someone who, despite her constant need to beat her, cared for.

_Care for even more than Eren?_

The thought came up after the fourth day after reminiscing a bit too fondly over previous events. This troubled Mikasa greatly though she often ignored it, but there were times when she couldn't. Maybe it was herself that she cared for more? But she couldn't shake the feeling of Annie no matter what. When she stared out the window of a class she knew was going to pass the thought lingered, though she never expanded on it. When the dark of night came rolling into her room the thought made it's appearance once more. When in the shower in the guest room's bathroom, again… And the constant pitter patter of the shower that played as the soundtrack to her intimate endeavors didn't help either. Despite all this she refused to believe or ever consider it further.

Not to mention Mikasa got home her mind would often replay the previous events, but otherwise she managed to continue normally without fretting much further. The two had no contact outside of gym and it's locker rooms but Mikasa wasn't complaining. This all was for the best, Mikasa constantly told herself, all for the best.

When the fifth day came around Mikasa a dark bruise became very apparent on her forehead. This was from Monday when Mikasa had jumped into Annie's kick, but no one had to know about her and Annie's "rivalry". Eren and Armin questioned her the moment she left her room but she only responded with vague. "Ah, gym class," she'd affirm but she got the feeling that Armin didn't believe her fully. Thankfully he left it alone, but otherwise it was a generally small portion of her day

When gym came around she wasn't exactly sure if she had time for their normal locker room adventures, but she found herself already out-ruling _not_ going. This was her life now; school, friends, Annie and repeat, but she preferred it this way.

"Mikasa." She instantly turned, a hand being sent on her shoulder as she was abruptly thrown out of her thoughts. To her surprise it was Ymir, and even more to her surprise she looked to be serious.

"You should talk to me when you're not busy." Once she knew she had Mikasa's attention she spoke before she could even react, but apparently it wasn't even necessary. Just like that Ymir walked away as the bell went off and leaving Mikasa thoroughly confused.

_Swoosh._

Mikasa turned as she just began to contemplate and found Annie's form darting ahead of her. She wondered if she did it intentionally to snap her out of her thoughts, but it more or less acted as though Annie was ensuing a challenge, and Mikasa accepted.

Mikasa near chased after her from then on, pushing herself more than she thought possible and constantly found herself neck and neck with her rival. Due to this they were both far more sweaty than usual, especially Annie. Mikasa glanced towards her as they both simultaneously came to a stop and found that her sweatshirt was stained with sweat and her head hung like a corpse's. Of course Mikasa wasn't much different. Her dark hair stuck to her forehead and her ears roared but she wouldn't have it any other way.

After a few minutes of recovery Mikasa began trudging back towards the school as she heard Annie quietly pant behind her, but she knew that Annie wouldn't follow her right away.

Once inside the locker room Mikasa hastily pulled her clothes off and near forced herself to walk the short distance to the showers, but it wasn't anything that Mikasa really minded. She pressed her hand against the tiled wall near instantly, it supporting her weight as she whipped the shower on and allowed the warm water to soothe her.

As if on cue, a few moments later the door to the locker room creaked open and Mikasa knew it was almost time. She ran a hand through her wet dark hair and turned herself to put her back to the wall and almost anticipating it.

As usual Annie came, drenched in sweat and looking exhausted, but this didn't stop her from grabbing Mikasa in the intense kiss that they've been sharing for the past few days. Her hands placed themselves on Mikasa's hips with Mikasa's on her shoulders as their bodies collided together near instantly; this was their rhythm now. Annie couldn't seem to get enough, but then again neither could Mikasa.

They remained locked in the kiss for at least a few minutes before Mikasa would venture for something new- something she felt was acceptable at this point. Her tongue slowly slid into Annie's mouth, causing her to quietly gasp. This was followed by Annie toying with it gently, as if they were truly on the same wavelength.

Though she didn't know exactly what she was doing, Mikasa reacted similarly as her lips gently pressed a tad bit harder against Annie's. The pressing was returned as well and soon enough their tongues were more or less grappling, but not for dominance surprisingly; Mikasa found that it was more erotic than anything, which she near regretted thinking but it ensued soft moans that weren't hidden all that well. She was drunk on the comfort though- drunk on the tender kisses, gentle touches, the hurt and the lust that she didn't even know existed.

Their bodies pressed together further as their actions prolonged and their hands wandered further. Annie's hands brushed across the dark bruise on Mikasa's forehead gingerly and drifted into Mikasa's dark hair, toying with the wet locks as their tongues continued to intertwine. Mikasa gently felt Annie's soft breasts with her hands once more, causing Annie to gasp exasperatedly against Mikasa's mouth.

This continued for longer than usual, though further carnal intimacy was avoided. Mikasa thought she'd never get sick of it as they continued in near silence. The saltiness that always lingered on Annie's delicate lips was even more intense today and the way that she near desperately clung to Mikasa reminded her of a startled deer.

Their kisses continued, they're touching and the comfort that cam along with it as well until… Until things finally and slowly came to a stop, just as they always did. Far more steam clouded the locker room than normal once they both finally pulled away, making it slightly difficult to see but neither had any particular difficulties with it.

Mikasa dressed as she always did on the far end of the locker room while Annie continued to stand in the warm shower for who knows how long.

Mikasa quickly ran the towel through her hair after she pulled the bare essentials on. She then sat on the conveniently placed bench in-between the rows of lockers and reached into her backpack, pulling out her blue phone. When she opened it she found that she'd missed multiple calls from Eren and Armin which in itself was alarming, but the time did even more so. It was about six fifteen and her shift at the movie theater would be starting at seven. Her facial expression read calm but inside she was constantly scolding herself for being so careless. She'd have to run the fifteen minutes to get home, get changed, have Armin drive her through traffic to all the way across town which would normally take another hour. She'd have to get Armin to "push the law" a little bit.

From then Mikasa hastily did just about everything; whether it be pulling on her clothes, combing her hair or running out of the locker room with one shoe, it was with the haste of a about leopard.

She ran home despite her legs already feeling like lead, but she didn't really have any other choice. She pulled out her phone the minute she left the school and dialed Armin's number, pressing it against her ear almost desperately.

"Hello?" a voice came after a few moments. "Mikasa, we were worried! You'll be late for work at this rate."

"Yes, I'm sorry," Mikasa apologized calmly as she hustled to get home. "I got caught up in my work-out and schoolwork."

"You've been doing this every day this week. Are you training for a marathon or something?" Armin inquired with a hint of urgency in his voice. Though he sounded distressed Mikasa could tell that he was genuinely curious.

"I don't want to get out of shape," Mikasa claimed with the same air of coolness in her voice. "I'll see you in a few minutes. I'm almost home."

"Alright, well the car will be running," Armin quickly added before hanging up. Mikasa stuck the phone into her back pack a little awkwardly as she ran down the sidewalk but it was quick and she continued on.

Once she reached the house she found Armin sitting on the front porch with a book opened and in his lap. As Mikasa approached he looked up and looked relieved to see her. The two didn't exchange words or even actions and instead headed in opposite directions. Mikasa darted into the house and Armin lightly jogged to his slightly beat-up car and got in.

Once in the guest room Mikasa worked hard to pry her clothes off as if they were strangling her. She pulled her work uniform on that was laid neatly out on her bed from this morning. Granted it was slick and consisted of a white dress shirt, black dress pants, a black vest and a black bow tie but all of which were strenuously difficult to get on for some reason.

Once dressed Mikasa promptly made it downstairs and to the car where they left almost immediately. She didn't have to reevaluate her locker room dwellings today. Not to mention on the way to the movie theater Armin had commented on the fact that they had that all-night practice. However, much to Mikasa's satisfaction, they rescheduled it for Saturday because something had apparently come up at the last minute for Reiner (as well as Bertholdt) and he called to cancel a few minutes before Mikasa got home. Apparently it had something to do with football practice, which Eren was thoroughly bummed about when he heard, though he claimed that "baseball was his thing anyways".

Mikasa made it about five minutes late which wouldn't really look good if her supervisor didn't like her so much. Her supervisor introduced themselves as Hanji Zoe who apparently was an assistant high school teacher at the time as well. She adorned goggle-like glasses and had a mess ponytail- an all-around movie-junkie look. She was borderline overly nice; she didn't yell once at Mikasa for being late and instead assured her that the first day was always the hardest and she hated giving newbies a hard time.

Hanji then proceeded to lead her through the ropes of working in the "movie" industry. They covered things from properly breaking tickets, telling customers where the bathrooms were and knowing just how much butter to put into the popcorn. Mikasa would mainly smile warmly and nod to convey that she was paying attention, but she was having more fun than expected.

"- And don't let young middle school boys in to anything past PG-13," Hanji added to her rant on movie attendies as they stood next to a film-projector, it playing some Pixar movie that Mikasa had admittedly been dying to see. "They always end up peeing themselves or doing something as equally disgusting depending on the genre of movie. You think you're grasping it?" Mikasa nodded solemnly but her small grin lightened her facial expression.

"Good!" Hanji exclaimed while adjusting her glasses. "Oh, and you also get discounts on movies! So you know.. If your boyfriend is the ah.. "Materialistic" type." Mikasa could see her eyebrow wiggle suggestively but she shook her head despite how amusing it was.

Instantly Hanji's expression turned quizzical so of course Mikasa was too. ".. Girlfriend?" Hanji questioned once more as her eyebrow wriggling turned into a sharp raise. Mikasa shook her head once more but this time more promptly. Her chest pounded like a jackhammer for whatever reason as the mere thought of a "girlfriend" came across her mind, but she hid it well.

"Wow! I didn't think that anyone as pretty as you would be single." Hanji sounded genuinely surprised as she examined Mikasa a bit too close for comfort, but she only stared. In fact it was so close that their noses bumped but Hanji was quick to retract. "Well, I'll let you finish the movie and then it'll be the end of your shift. Tomorrow night will be part dos of your training." She then flashed Mikasa a slightly concerning smirk as she pushed her glasses up before continuing out of the room. Mikasa wondered if she had something maniacal planned for a moment but she decided that it was a little illogical.

For the remainder of her time there Mikasa was genuinely happy and was thankful that she chose this job over the rest. She sat in the projection booth and watched the animated movie as though she were seven again and her, Eren and Armin were with her. The three would sit around for hours every day, just watching Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks movies, but when Eren grew up he grew away from the movies. Armin had gotten into books more too and Mikasa had moved away. It was depressing, but the nostalgia made Mikasa near tear up with joy, which she didn't, but almost.

After the movie she left as the next movie attendant came in to take care of the projector and she continued to leave the theater in general. Armin was waiting for her once more in the parking lot with a book in-hand from what Mikasa could see as she made her way over. She was right of course, and she even startled Armin a bit as she knocked on the window. He jumped, squeaked a little, but quickly came to realize that it was Mikasa and not someone who was there to mug him.

He let her in quickly and the proceeded to drive home. It was silent with only small-talk about their days or how her first day of work went.

She'd have to get her license, Mikasa noted as the silence grew. She didn't want Armin to be responsible for taking her everywhere when he had a job of his own too. She vowed that she'd buy her own car once she raised enough money for one, only second to getting an apartment.

When they got home it was about 10:30 and Mikasa was the most hungry she's been since she came to America. Armin directed her to the downstairs where she could hear vulgar profanity and name-calling. _Must be Battlefield or COD_. Mikasa sighed inwardly as she nodded towards Armin.

The two proceeded down the stairs, opened the door and was met with Ymir, Connie, Jean, Christa and Eren who were all huddled around the t.v. with either a Wii controller or a Gamecube controller in most of their hands.

"Don't you fucking touch my star Jaeger!" Jean barked while threatening him with a white Wii remote.

"And what if I do?!" Eren retorted as he pointed Dorito dust-covered finger in Jean's face. "You can't do anything about it!"

"I can fucking bite your finger off if that's what you _REALLY _want me to do!" Jean remarked sarcastically, but was still yelling.

"Mario Party," Armin muttered to Mikasa as if it were Satan's spawn-tool and she instantly grasped the measure of the situation. His eyes flickered towards the screen for a moment, witnessing "Waluigi's" star being stolen and cringed as the group errupted in either laughter or cussing. Armin only cringed; he obviously had some bad experiences with the Nintendo game.

"YOU SHITFACE!" Mikasa heard Jean scream as she followed Armin to the vacant couches. Armin looked as though he was trying his best to avoid watching but Mikasa had no problems as she sat down. She reached into one of the already opened pizza boxes and began eating just as her stomach grumbled while Armin pulled his book out once more and arduously tried to focus.

"_This_ is why we're on the same team," Ymir told Christa while grinning pleasantly. She gripped a Gamecube controller as she pressed a few buttons and set her chin atop her blonde head as Christa sat cozily in her lap. "Plus you're pretty damn lucky. Oh, and you're cute too. Almost forgot to mention that."

_Right. Didn't Ymir need to talk to me? _Previously that day Annie had distracted her from even wondering about what it might be but… There's was no real use now; they probably wouldn't be alone together until after the weekend.

Mikasa watched as Christa giggled sweetly and murmured something inaudible, but it caused Ymir to snicker a bit under her breath just as Connie screamed something beyond profaine.

"YMIR, WHYYYY?!" he yelled melodramatically as it was Jean's turn to laugh at somebody's agony. Mikasa grinned slightly and pulled at her.. Her..

_Where is it?_

The scarf, God dammit where was the freaking scarf. How didn't she even notice that it was gone? Was it upstairs? At the movie theater? Her mind grew frantic even though her demeanor on the outside was calm. Oh God, she had to find it. Eren gave it to her… _Eren_.

She bit her bottom lip and set the rest of her pizza down on a paper plate. She suddenly wasn't very hungry. Instead she slowly stood, brushed the crumbs off of her work clothes and calmly walked out of the room without going noticed.

Once she was out of earshot she darted for the guestroom and near tore it apart in a frenzy. She threw clothes out of the closet, tore sheets off the bed and moved all the furniture she could out of the way until she finally decided that it was time to move on.

She ran down to the main floor and looked in any place where she might've been. She had it this morning, right? And during lunch.. She remembered because Sasha was tugging at it when pestering her for food.

Oh God, did she leave it at school? Her eyebrows furrowed and she stopped pulling the couch out for a moment. That must've been it.. If not there then it was the movie theater. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration for a moment before putting the room back into order.

She'd just have to wait and see, but it was extremely unnerving.

The rest of Friday was enjoyable for Mikasa despite constantly being constantly paranoid about her scarf. She got to jump in and play Mario Party, as did Armin finally and they all finally found why he refused to play the game. For one he got extremely competitive (more than Mikasa and Annie) and he either had insanely good luck or he was just really good at it.

He left jaws dropping in his wake and after the game he apologized at least twenty times to each individual person for "crushing them so greatly".

On Saturday Mikasa mainly just did homework to take her mind off of things while Eren constantly was out of the house. Mikasa didn't know exactly where he was going, what he was doing or who was with at all times. Every time she'd ask she'd get an extremely vague answer concerning something about people she didn't know while Armin would constantly shoot her worried looks as if to say "watch him", though he didn't mention anything else.

She couldn't very well stalk him so she waited for him to come home with Armin after she finished her homework. They passed their time by playing chess and watching some Disney movies that they had long since forgotten.

When five came around the two lost some hope. It was time for work, and Mikasa left as usual but she decided that she'd bike and would let Armin have some time to read. As she was about to leave he offered to give her some driving lessons and she kindly accepted, though she didn't know when she'd have time for it.

She was early this time around so Hanji was a bit surprised to see her, but was happy nonetheless. They got a little bit of a head start on part two of her training, but Mikasa had no complaints.

Hanji explained the bathroom duties, how to mix slurpees and how to properly kick out movie attendies as well as when to. She gave an example when a stumbling group of college frat boys could be heard from across the complex at their Adam Sandler movie.

It was almost scary to watch as Hanji glared them down with a flashlight. Her face grew menacing and had "I've stabbed a man and I'm not afraid to do it again" written all over it as she'd hiss at them like to get out. Wisely they left and Mikasa was left feeling slightly intimidated, but not overly.

Hanji explained that it was unnecessary to go _that_ far but it was certainly her most favorite method of getting movie goers to get out. Mikasa believed that she could handle it; she knew that she could be scary when she wanted to, and even sometimes unintentionally.

The rest of the night Hanji talked about how their particular movie cinema company worked and all of the positions above her. Mikasa didn't find it particularly interesting but then again she didn't think that Hanji was having a blast talking about it.

Eventually they got a bit off-track and found themselves sitting at a table and just talking. Mikasa learned that Hanji's real passion lied within movies; whether it be watching, making or even listening to them, she was the true definition of a "movie junkie". The only sad part about this was the fact that she would have to quit once she became a full-time science (this was apparently her number two passion) teacher and Mikasa could tell that it really weighed on her. She needed a practical job, she'd tell Mikasa. One that could pay the bills and maybe even support a family someday.

Mikasa wanted to say something uplifting, something that would make her not lose hope but she couldn't bring herself to. She simply nodded in understanding with a small frown on her face, but Hanji seemed to be completely okay with this.

"Thanks for understanding, Ackerman. Sorry to trouble you with these things. You can leave now, just be ready to work for real on Tuesday." Hanji would then grin as she returned back to normal.

Mikasa grinned as well and stood from her seat slowly. At least all of this got her mind off of Eren and… Agh, and Annie. "Of course Hanji."

From there Mikasa biked home as the lights of Orlando lit her path up before her, but this is where he mind sort of wandered.

When would Eren be home? Would he even be home? Should she have followed him? And not to mention for some reason she couldn't stop being reminded of Annie whenever she thought of Eren.

Annie and the soft touches.. Warm kisses. If..! If she had anything to do with this Mikasa wouldn't hesitate to bring her down. At least she hoped that she wouldn't hesitate. Actually, she would very well hesitate. Would she even be able to do that? After all they've shared with each other it was a very difficult thing to question.

Annie or Eren? She knew it would come down to this, but she tried to move her mind away from it. There was no use in fretting over something that could very well be imaginary, but Mikasa couldn't seem to help it ever since Leonhardt came back into the picture.

When she got home she was more than relieved to find Eren at home and looking completely fine, but was surprised at the extreme lack of band mates. Mikasa continued to go and change into her regular clothes anyways, half-expecting they'd be there when she got back down, but they weren't.

"Alright, now we can go," Eren near cheered as Mikasa reached the bottom of the staircase. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him but finally understood when she saw the metal guitar case in his hand.

"Oh, ah yeah Mikasa. Reiner offered to have us all because he's the reason we had to cancel in the first place. Plus he said you really wanted to hang out with him, Bert and Annie," Eren explained as he caught Mikasa's confused expression. "I personally thought you and Annie hated each other's guts but I'm not one to complain." Mikasa merely blinked as her confused expression faded. She wasn't sure of what to make of this. Was Reiner trying to torture her? She wasn't sure if she could be in the same room with her without being naked and kissing. It was worth a try though Mikasa assumed- for Eren.


	4. Chapter 4

"But come on, let's go." Mikasa blinked, pulling herself out of her thoughts and nodded as she followed him out to the car. As usual it was running already with Armin sitting in the driver's seat, a book in hand as well.

Mikasa got in the back Eren stuffed his guitar into the trunk, cursed once, got in the passenger side next to Armin before they finally left. Mikasa was squished against an amplifier in the back as they road while Eren and Armin chirped talkatively in the front. Occasionally they'd say something directed to Mikasa, but it'd only be met with either a nod of the head, grin or a one word answer. Her mind was elsewhere at this point.

The three of them drove for at least twenty minutes before coming up to the apartment complex that was said to house Reiner, Bert and Annie. It was cream-toned and in a decent neighborhood, about the same standards as Eren lived in but Mikasa wondered how three high schoolers who, to her knowledge didn't have jobs, could afford to live here but she chose to not question further.

When they got inside the building on the western-end Eren was the one to press the buzzer to the room that read "Leonhardt". Mikasa found this slightly odd but didn't question either as the three waited a few minutes after when eventually the door leading past the lobby buzzed, followed by them heading in.

Eren lead the way with his steel guitar case as Mikasa lugged his large amplifier and chords along. They went down the right hallway then turned left at the door. The heavy stench of nicotine filled the halls from then and Mikasa knew that they were getting close.

After a minute or two Eren came to a stop in front of a door that read "17A" and she assumed that this was it. Armin knocked on the door and near instantly it opened, revealing Reiner's grinning face as smoke rolled out of the room. "Come on in, and welcome Mikasa," he greeted warmly as he opened the door further, allowing them to step inside. "Hope your head is feeling better by the way."

Mikasa smiled gently and nodded, signifying that she was feeling find before following Armin and Eren inside.

It was an all-around nice apartment; two-story, Mikasa assumed, with couches that were moved off to the side, a flat-screen, a kitchen and a moderate-sized table where Marco and Jean were casually drinking some type of alcohol and playing cards. Everyone was there already but it didn't really surprise Mikasa, just made her uneasy.

"Eh horseface!" Eren cried near immediately as his hand waved at the smoke. He pushed past Reiner, just about ignoring his greeting. "Put out the damn cigarette! It's fucking disgusting."

"I'll open a window," Marco quickly stated before Jean could respond to Eren's hostility.

"Grow up Jaeger!" Jean growled but followed Marco's example and began opening windows; he couldn't seem to deny Marco in any way. Despite this he kept a lit cigarette in between his fingers however.

Eren continued to growl lowly under his breath while Reiner chuckled lightheartedly and threw his arm around Mikasa near drunkly. "Haha, calm down guys. We 'gotta spend at least another twelve hours together so let's try and get along for at least the first three." Reiner's voice was filled with comfort and nonchalance yet his band mates seemed to take him more seriously than he even did, but maybe that's just how Reiner worked.

The group of guys quickly assembled their things while Reiner ushered Mikasa over to one of the couches where she sat comfortably. Silently though she wondered where Annie and Bert could possibly be (mostly Annie) when she decided that it was probably best to not bother with such thoughts. Reiner probably at least told Annie and she made good note to get the hell out of her apartment for the night.

Mikasa patiently sat and watched as the group of guys pulled their assorted instruments into the scene and plugged in and unplugged wires till they were swearing out of frustration, though this job was mostly taken up by Jean once more.

Once they got set up each individual one of them played for some length of time, testing the sound until they decided things were properly set up. And once that goal was accomplished the group began warming up with cover songs that Mikasa could moderately identify.

"I don't normally drink-" Mikasa was caught slightly off-guard and turned to her side, finding Armin with two glasses of dark-colored wine in either of his hands. He looked so.. Different and it was almost so unusual it was scary. "But Annie has really good taste." He then held one of his hands out, offering a wine glass and Mikasa graciously accepted. This would be her first time consuming alcohol but she assumed that it'd have to happen eventually.

Armin then sat next to her and casually sipped at his wine, seemingly savoring it. "Chateau de Beaucastel," Armin stated simply as he pulled the glass away from his lips and grinned lightly. "Wine's meant for gentlemen in all honesty. But go on, try it. I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

Mikasa could tell he was either joking or a little tipsy. Armin normally wasn't this talkative, especially about things such as wine. Nevertheless she pressed the wine glass to her lips and took a sip a long sip, allowing it to sit in the back of her throat for a moment before swallowing. The taste was enticing and grasped Mikasa as her dark eyes instantly widened out of surprise. She didn't know that alcohol could taste like this; she always thought that every over-exaggerated, but she might be owing them an apology.

Armin smiled meagerly as he caught Mikasa enjoying the wine and continued to pull out his book without another word. He opened it in his lap and relaxed in the couch while occasionally sipping the dark liquid.

Mikasa eagerly sipped her drink, but in moderation- she was still responsible -as she watched her friends glide over notes. Progressively her drink shrank as she did so without even noticing, but Armin took her glass the minute she finished and re-filled it, grinning pleasantly as he'd hand it back.

"Annie and I picked this wine out, actually," Armin mentioned casually as he sat back down. "After she moved into this apartment me and Eren helped her out a lot so we became very close, though I don't suppose Eren told you that." Mikasa blinked and flickered her yes towards Armin, meeting his soft emerald ones before flickering them towards the band once more and shaking her head.

"He didn't," Mikasa claimed before taking a quick sip of her newly filled glass and turning towards him. "But what happened? Are you not close anymore?" Armin stared at her for a few minutes, their gazes locked before his faltered finally. He let out a soft sigh and shook his head as he set his book aside.

"That's a better question for Annie or Eren," Armin responded slowly with hesitance written all over his expression. ".. Preferably Annie. Eren doesn't even know.." Mikasa studied Armin cautiously as his words faded into silence, as if he regretted what he just said. "But never mind that, they'll probably be stopping soon to let you up there." Armin then gestured towards Eren's band with his wineglass.

Mikasa wasn't willing to let the subject of Annie and Eren drop so quickly but she somehow resisted and returned her attention back to them. She found that they were on the final verse of a song that they started near five minutes ago and her eyes- very -briefly widened. She quickly drank the rest of her wine in one go, which slightly impressed Armin, before she handed the glass back to him. "I'll be back for it," she claimed with a stone-cold look. Her eyes read "protect the glass with your life", and they shot into Armin abruptly before she slowly stood.

"Ready Mikasa?" Eren asked just as he strummed his last chord, almost as though it was timed. Feeling a bit more open due to the wine, Mikasa nodded and grinned slightly. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

"Alright, great," Jean huffed out as he threw himself down on the couch next to Armin with his guitar, causing him to twitch out of surprise. He looked as though he'd just ran a mile but Mikasa assumed that being in this band would be physically straining from the minute she heard about it.

She walked over to the mic stand, feeling bare without her scarf and stood there with her hands clasped behind her back. She looked at ease and almost comfortable as opposed to most of the time.

"So what song would you like to start off with?" Marco asked, his words dripping with honey as he idly played something that sounded eerily like Legend of Zelda on his deep blue bass guitar.

Mikasa hadn't ever put much thought into it. She found herself standing there, shrugging and rubbing her forearm as she turned towards the rest of them.

"You always liked Sinatra, didn't you?" Eren asked, trying to help as he fiddled with the jack of his guitar almost frustratingly. Mikasa nodded slowly and blinked, coming to a conclusion. She then spun on her heels, facing the mic once more as Eren grinned in satisfaction.

"Well, I'll have to improvise a bit, but I think we can make it happen," Eren added quickly as he stepped over to his amp to change his distortion.

"Eren, what is this band called?" Mikasa asked far from incidentally as she straightened her skirt, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Well, ah.." Eren said slowly, trying to find the words to say. "We don't have a name I guess. We didn't really think we'd be getting gigs any time soon."

"I think you will," Mikasa asserted, near cutting off Eren. "You should think about it." His deep green eyes blinked in a bit of a daze. Was this really Mikasa? He had seen her with a wine glass earlier but.. She just seemed so much livelier, and Eren found himself enjoying it.

"Alright, well." He looked towards Marco and Reiner, finding them to look almost as dazed as he was by Mikasa before returning his attention back to her. "I certainly will. And how about we start with Come Fly With Me? Your dad always played it on his record." She nodded slowly, not saying anything further before they started.

When they did start they found that Mikasa had a bit more confidence than usual and opened up far more to singing in front of them. Her voice carried and even Armin took a break from his book to watch her.

In her wake she left those in the room impressed, but immediately as she finished she felt herself grow timid once more. Reiner whistled loudly behind her while Jean and Armin clapped. She grinned sheepishly as they finished their last song and she gave a graceful sort-of bow before continuing off and letting Jean replace her, but it was already 2 a.m.- near witching hour - but she found and she wasn't even all that tired.

"I think you belong with them," Armin declared as he swirled a white-colored wine in his glass. "I could feel the chemical reaction almost." He grinned warmly and handed Mikasa her glass back before pouring some wine into her glass. "Merlot."

"We'll have to see," she responded near apathetically before near instantly pressing the glass up to her lips and drinking. She personally preferred the Chateau but white wine was fine she granted.

The two continued to casually talk as the rest of them went on a food run to the nearest gas station (aside from Jean, he decided to go crash for the night in Reiner's room).

"While Hercules was a tragedy," Armin said while rubbing his head. It was obvious that he was thoroughly intrigued by their current conversational topic. "In the traditional Hercules he was sought to be a hero- An Epic hero in fact. And the way that the Athens classic portrayed him was downright gruesome, but I suppose I get your point." Mikasa nodded, understanding as she poured herself yet another glass of wine. She wasn't exactly sure of how many she'd had, she only knew that they had eliminated an entire bottle already.

"Yes, you understand. Heroes aren't meant to be portrayed as "super ultra perfect" human beings," Mikasa explained before taking a small sip of her win. "While as a child it may be nice to aim for, once you get older you realize that people aren't _really_ like that, and the Athens classic did the tragedy just."

"Fair point, I'll give you that," Armin admitted while grinning coyly. "Just was never a big fan of death and mayhem I guess; always preferred the valiant side of things."

"Even when we lived next to each other as children, Armin, I could always tell," Mikasa expressed with the hint of a girlish giggle, but she managed to keep it back. The wine seemed to be getting to her once more. "Whenever I'd look outside I'd see you avoiding every little ant you could on the sidewalk; it'd look like you were trying to do a frantic fire dance." Armin laughed in a way that Mikasa hadn't heard since she'd come back; it was bright, joyful and most of all it was legitimate. It even made Mikasa laugh quietly before she gingerly took another sip of wine.

"Well I have to say that you were pretty valiant yourself back then," Armin asserted just as he finished off his current glass of wine. "Always swooping in to save Eren whenever we'd play a game. It was as though _he_ was the damsel in distress and every time you were his shining knight." Mikasa grinned a bit more and found herself thoroughly amused before quickly drinking down the rest of her glass.

"Ah, well, can we really say that that's changed at all?" Mikasa asked rhetorically as she poured herself yet another glass. "I'd swoop in within a heartbeat as if I were Peter Parker and he were Lois Lane."

"Might you be hinting at something, Ms. Ackerman?" Armin questioned with tease soaking his words.

"You and I both know how hyperbolic asking that is, Arlert," Mikasa said simply with a slight smirk. "But if you'll excuse me, I'll be going to the bathroom that's…"

"Upstairs, it's the first door you'll see," Armin directed with a warm grin as Mikasa set her glass down and stood. She then nodded and stepped around the couch a bit tipsily. Her foot tripped over the wooden floors but she caught herself on the couch. Get ahold of yourself, she silently demanded before continuing past and heading to the staircase.

The stairs were carpeted unlike the rest of the house and were easy on her "slippery" stocking-covered feet. As she reached the top of the staircase she heard the doors open downstairs, followed by a barrage of drunken teenage guy voices. Mikasa cringed slightly at the loud noises but continued into the open area in front of the stairs.

Her arms wrapped around her form as she stepped onto the wooden floors once more, feeling bare and a bit colder than usual without her scarf, which was borderline abnormal because it _was_ within the last few days of summer. It was a chilling thought in itself, actually.

Her eyes slowly glanced around the room once she gained some moderate bearings, but only found the open space to be, well.. Open. A comfortable-looking chair sat in the far right corner next to a bookshelf and a turned-off lamp.

The wall to her right was near an entire window and revealed at least part of the glowing city of Orlando, it providing the light allowing her to see. If she squinted maybe she could even see Disney world, but she brushed such thoughts aside.

Mikasa continued after several moments and to the hallway which was straight ahead just as the loud sound of a bass guitar strumming boomed from the downstairs. Once again she cringed, but only slightly as her eyebrows knit themselves together in near frustration.

Why did alcohol have to have such an irritating consequence? It was hard to concentrate, Mikasa's coordination dropped to about a baby giraffe's level, her mind was a jumble of things and she found herself feeling downright… Well, she wasn't sure, but it wasn't normal, whatever the feeling was.

Her toes clenched as she trudged her way down the hall "elegantly" with her arms clenched tightly around her chest until she met the first door. She clenched the doorknob and turned it while silently wondering if Annie's room was in this hallway, and she wondered why that even mattered. Annie was probably gone anyways, yet she strived to know where and if she was there.. Maybe they could continue their normal locker room activities? God, now that was just the alcohol talking.

A hand came up to Mikasa's nose and she pinched it before sighing until a thought came to mind; maybe she really couldn't be around- Definitely not, Mikasa promptly denied as she kicked the door back, causing it to slam shut loudly as she stepped inside. She pressed her back against the door as the music around her intensified, but she found herself biting her bottom lip out of what looked to be worry despite the mini-scene that just previously escalated.

"Can you really not even be in the same room as her without being naked?" Mikasa spat out huskily as her head hung in shame. "Why don't you even act this way about _Eren_?" Whether this was submission to her previous thoughts or.. She didn't know, her lips merely formed the words but her brain didn't process them

Why don't you even act this way about Eren?

She abandoned the thoughts as quickly as she could, regaining some form of rationality. At this point more than anything she wanted to go back downstairs, sit with Armin and talk about anything and everything, but she had to do this first or else she may wet herself.

She stepped over to the sink, splashing some cold water on her face the first chance she could to clear her mind as she constantly whispered "Don't be stupid", trying to convince herself. No, now you're being stupid, Mikasa declared mentally as she wiped her face with her sleeve. It was just the alcohol, stop overreacting.

She continued with her business in the bathroom and left soon after. She felt much better, both physically and mentally as she stepped into the hall and turned off the light; good enough to even start humming along to the song playing downstairs. It wasn't Jean singing.. No, it was most definitely not Jean. Arctic Monkeys? That had to be it, and it gave her a nice feeling in the pit of her stomach.

This ampleness was short lived.

As Mikasa lifted her head and took a step out her gaze caught on something dangerous- something she wished she wouldn't have noticed. A door was open down the hall, one that she was sure was closed, as were all of them.

Her dark eyes widened slightly but her air of coolness remained. Maybe it was Bert? Or maybe Reiner, even Jean? No need to jump to conclusions, but yet that's what she found herself doing.

Though instead of the previous nerve-wracking thoughts flooding her brain, a feeling of anxiousness existed. Or maybe it was excitement? Some sort of sick bittersweet happiness?.. Lust?

Mikasa stood there for a few moments before realizing she was staring and quickly turned. She walked at a quicker pace but her face was an emotionless mask, as it was by default almost.

She entered the opening, good. Almost there, she'd tell herself until she was only steps away from the stairs.

"Mika," a voice came, causing Mikasa's breath to catch in her throat. It was in a normal tone and the music was still blaring but yet Mikasa could still make it out. Not only was that a childhood nicknamed but.. Also the first thing either of them had said to each other in almost a week. Mikasa knew.. Her mind was a blank and her chest pounded. It was bound to come down to this.

She slowly turned after a couple moments of a tension-filled silence. Annie.. Of course, was standing in the archway between the hallway and the opening. Her blonde hair was messily kept up as though she'd been sleeping or working.. It was difficult to say. The moon also gave her a ghost-like appearance, her skin turning milky under it's light. Her skin? After closer observation Mikasa noted that she adorned a black tank top and gray shorts. Mikasa recalled definitely never seeing Annie without a hooded pullover… Unless they were in the shower of course, but that was besides the point.

Annie was gorgeous.

Mikasa could near feel her heart sink in her chest. Whether it was the alcohol taking over her brain or not, she admired this girl.

Mikasa would've stared a while longer but their gazes locked after some time, as if Annie had been inspecting her as well. Annie's looked slightly puffy, she noted as her shoulders tensed. Annie Leonhardt never cried though.. So maybe she was sick? That had to be it.

Not a moment later Annie's freezing gaze faltered and her entire body turned, followed by her pacing into the darkness of the hallway. Mikasa knew to follow and she quickly began walking as her eyes avoided Annie's back. If Annie didn't want her even near the area, she would at least respect her, even if it did pique her curiosity a bit.

As expected Annie lead her into the opened room, and with every step Mikasa's anxiousness grew. Near instantly as they entered Mikasa was hit with a warm breeze, causing her to glance off towards where she expected the window to be. It was open; no screen or anything but she quickly shifted her gaze. It was a nice feeling at least.

The room was lit up, well kempt and only various posters of soccer stars, bands and famous boxers littered the walls. Typical Annie, who owned a seemingly typical room. Mikasa also noted a trash can filled to the brim with tissues and a box of them on her nightstand. So Annie must be sick.

Mikasa found herself standing idly in the middle of the room as her eyes wandered over the posters. She wasn't sure of what Annie was doing but she wasn't sure if she could meet her gaze again. At least not while she looked like… that. Mikasa's brain flickered back to images of just moments before. The admiration was embarrassing and the thoughts only caused Mikasa to clench her eyes shut for a moment, just as something brushing against her neck caused them to shoot open.

Once more Mikasa met Annie's eyes, causing Mikasa to grow slightly confused. Wasn't that Annie who was touching her neck? Or maybe she was hoping for it to be Annie. Either way, Annie definitely stood close enough by this time.

Slowly Mikasa's gaze lowered and was met with something that was oh-so-familiar- The sight of her red scarf that dangled down her chest. It was awing for Mikasa; Annie had the scarf the entire time? Did she care for Mikasa?

Because now she was sure that she cared for Annie.. Greatly.

When Eren had given her the scarf in the first place Mikasa's family was in a bad place. They were homeless most of the time and she was in Eren's class. After befriending him he was set on helping her. Even though he was a small child at the time he had the will and spirit of any ten men.

At first Eren didn't know what to do exactly, but Mikasa remembers the first thing he did perfectly. It was the scarf. When she'd have to bare the grueling nights with no heat.. There was Eren's scarf. The one he claimed she had to keep when he swore to protect her.. And when she silently swore to protect him. No matter what.

But now Annie.. It gave the scarf entirely new significance for reasons Mikasa couldn't explain; the scarf even smelled like Annie now. All of this only added to Mikasa's previous distraught and conflicted her further.

"You don't look the same without it," Annie claimed in a soft tone, disrupting Mikasa's thoughts as Annie sat on the edge of her bed and stared into the red fabric before going dead silent. Thankfully there was still loud music to void the silence, but Mikasa wasn't sure if it eased the situation or not.

Nevertheless Mikasa took the opportunity to wrap the scarf around her neck, but found herself dumbfounded when trying to figure out what to do next soon after. Perhaps she was meant to leave now? Or thank Annie in some way? How could she even thank her? Well, thanking her was out of the question in the first place; it'd be straight out of character and Mikasa didn't want to feel any weirder than she already did. When accounting for that, was Mikasa meant to leave? Annie didn't appear to look impatient. In fact, she didn't appear to look, well, anything, but Mikasa wondered if this was truly abnormal.

By accident Mikasa caught her gaze, and they remained locked for several moments as Mikasa's arms now hung idly at her sides. She found herself turning as the silence between the two only grew, finding that it'd be for the best if she left, even if she did silently urge to stay.

"Kiss me."

Did Mikasa imagine those words? Was it even Annie who said it? They never communicated such things.. Either way, something was seemingly pulling on her scarf, straining her and forbidding her to move further away.

Her breath caught in her throat once more and she found her heart racing, but she managed to turn back around calmly. Had she been anticipating this? Mikasa didn't know but still found herself moving automatically towards Annie. She didn't care at this point. Whether this was an obsession, admiration, caring or even if she was being manipulated, she only felt herself aching for the touch in this very moment.

Without Annie having to speak another word Mikasa stepped closer, their lips meeting harshly and with haste as she leaned down. Unlike in the locker rooms this kiss was lust-filled and brash, forceful and begging for someone to achieve dominance. Comfort was essentially thrown out the window and was replaced with something more- Hunger.

Their tongues collided within seconds of the kiss being initiated and they clashed repeatedly, fighting for dominance. She tasted of alcohol and nicotine, making it bittersweet but Mikasa knew that wine was heavy on her breath as well. As this happened Mikasa pulled her knees onto Annie's bed kneeling comfortably while straddling Annie's lap, but Annie managed to yank her down closer using her scarf to get a better grip on the kiss.

It wasn't the same as the locker room, no, but Mikasa wasn't sure if this was a bad thing. In fact she wasn't really sure of anything at the time. Her mind was blank and her insides craved to near ravish Annie, and she knew that Annie felt the same to some extent.

Their bodies pressed against and rubbed against one another carelessly, hair was pulled gruffly and muffled moans were exchanged. Their lips remained locked the entire time, neither one wanting to give up the pursuit until the both of them were breathless.

They retracted simultaneously and both panted, but only for a moment. Their lips met again as Mikasa gripped the collar of Annie's shirt, pulling her up brashly as Annie's hands cupped Mikasa's breasts recklessly, causing Mikasa to breathe out a shaky moan.

"Mikasa." The sound of her name was caked with demanding. It was cold, harsh and steely- Just like Annie, but Mikasa found it to be mesmerizing as their kissing intensified. "_I'll fuck you into the ground_." Mikasa felt Annie's words against her own lips, and Mikasa knew this was meant to be a threat, but it caused her to near tremble as her grip on Annie's collar lessened, her knees feeling like buckling.

This opening allowed Annie to take near full dominance. Her tongue commanded their mouths and she managed to shove Mikasa over and onto her back, despite the weak struggling.

It only took one of Annie's hands to restrain Mikasa's over her head, allowing her to openly violate Mikasa's body. Annie's hand slipped under her shirt, gliding over her smooth stomach before groping at her fabric-covered breasts repeatedly. If she was trying to make Mikasa squeal, it was working. She could hardly contain herself as her eyes clenched shut, her head throwing itself back. She couldn't get Annie's voice out of her head.. The same line echoing in her mind, causing her knees to press tightly against each other out of near sexual frustration.

Collect yourself, Mikasa, she'd tell herself between the consecutive groaning. That is, until her shirt forcefully came off over her head, exposing her black cotton bra. She hesitated. Where were Annie's hands? Could she- Yes, she'd at least try. Annie wasn't allowed to win this so easily.

Mikasa jumped at Annie with all of the power she could muster, and ultimately she believed that she caught the blonde off-guard. Perhaps Annie had thought she completely had her in her grasp, but no, definitely not yet.

They rolled, reversing positions as Annie's bun came out, her blonde hair fanning out over the sheets, but Mikasa wouldn't have to admire it just yet. Mikasa kept a firm knee on Annie's stomach and every so often would press down forcefully to keep her in check.

Mikasa had no issues with taking off Annie's shirt as her mouth hastily grazed over every inch of Annie's neck. Mikasa could tell that she was far more sensitive as she quietly gasped with every small kiss, along with making strained facial expressions every time her hands would near her breasts. It was amusing for Mikasa to watch, but with every sound that Annie uttered Mikasa could feel herself grow more and more hungry for her.

Mikasa could feel the young blonde struggle under her as her hands slowly felt her breasts. It was a sign of weakness- A sign she was losing.

"F-Fuck," Annie gasped out. It was obvious that she was trying to sound bitter but her voice rose on the last syllable as Mikasa pulled her bra down, exposing her breasts and perky light-pink nipples.

Mikasa began feeling them in almost a teasing manner with her constant alternation between her breasts, stomach and neck. Only when Annie put her hands over Mikasa's did she truly understand what this carnal meeting truly meant for Annie.

Annie forced Mikasa's hands down to her own breasts and urged them to move as her breathing grew more labored. Had Annie manipulated her into doing this? And how could Mikasa have not noticed?

"Please." Annie's voice was a near whimper as her grip tightened. "Fuck me." Mikasa's eyes widened slightly, and though she was thrilled by her words it definitely wasn't Annie. Either way though, Mikasa couldn't resist.

They kissed ferociously, Mikasa pulling her knee from Annie's chest so they could press against one another, but this was a mistake.

Annie had Mikasa on her back with her skirt pulled down to her knees within a second flat. A smirk graced her features as she looked down demeaningly at her. Animalism overtook the previous helplessness. How could Mikasa be so stupid?

Annie forced a kiss unto her lips, but this was one that Mikasa couldn't seem to get enough of. Annie's tongue teased her and her lips were graceful yet sultry. If winning didn't mean everything to the two she maybe would have allowed Annie to continue, but-

Mikasa found herself near squealing once more, but on a much higher ratio. Not to mention she was caught off-guard, causing her sounds to come pouring out for a moment. Annie's hand was in her tights.. And in her.. Underwear? Mikasa could feel Annie's fingers delicately running over her slick folds over and over and over again. It was maddening, the way she teased her as they continued to kiss frantically.

Her fingers came closer and closer.. Mikasa near ached as she waited for it. So she lost, okay, but now she wanted to savor it. Savor being Annie's "bitch for the night".

"U-Uh." A voice came from the doorframe. Oh God it was open. Annie froze, her finger so desperately close and Mikasa laid still. Her mind crashed back to reality, her legs trembled and for some reason she was terrified, but not for reasons that may seem obvious.

Despite her mind gaining clarity once more, she didn't want to stop comforting Annie, and if someone knew of it… Well that would certainly be it. It'd be it for them in general.


End file.
